In 2016, aged 48, I had a stroke. Now I'm coming out through the other side.

Disclaimer

BEFORE YOU START: Please note that although I currently volunteer for both the Stroke Association and Age UK, the views expressed in this blog are strictly my own. I am not a spokesperson for either (or, indeed, for any) organisation, and I accept complete responsibility for the views expressed herein. I've tried to use the Glossary to explain any ambiguous terms, but if you think there is anything I've missed, please message me.

Monday, 20 March 2017

Limbo

So there's a couple of areas of life that are quite frustrating at the moment.

First, I'm looking for a job. I mean, for years, I designed IT systems. This really was top-of-the-Premier-League stuff, although it often didn't feel like it. But the sacrifice here was that I needed to travel up to central London each day. In fact, at one stage, a long time ago when I was single and prepared to travel a bit further, I worked for a spell in New York City. Although the stroke has left me with some physical impairments, obviously these roles were purely intellectual in nature. And hopefully the reader will judge that I still have this intellect. So I've been brushing up on some technology skills, just because having these "hard" skills makes the "soft" skill of system design that much easier to convey. You often find that there needs to be a period, while a trust is established, which is effectively a "probation".

On the plus side, the stroke has meant that I'd settle for lower-league work these days. So I'd be far less choosy about the nature of the work. Possibly something outside of IT altogether - I've always been very numerate, and started my career off as a research scientist. But I'd want something local - I wouldn't want to tire myself out on the commute, before I'd even done a day's work. For the same reason, I'd want something part-time to give myself time to recover.

I have several problems here. First, there is very little IT, period, in the Salisbury area (Salisbury is my nearest city). Second, it is very rare to find IT jobs that aren't full-time. Third, I suppose, I'd like to find something that is accessible by public transport, although I should be able to fix this myself somehow.

So, in the meantime, it is a case of keeping looking.

Second, my volunteering appication for Age UK appears to have stalled. I went to their inductions, and they asked me to undergo a criminal record check. I did this (absolutely clean), and emailed the certificate back to them, to an address I'd used before. Since then, nothing. Not even a "welcome on board" message. This must be about 6 weeks now. I mean, in some ways I don't mind, because the volunteering role had turned out to be not quite what I expected, but even so...

You see, in many respects, my life is identical to somebudy's who is able-bodied.

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